Stone the flamin’ crows! A surprising study has found that Australians aren’t the world’s worst online swearers – although researchers suspect there’s a pragmatic reason for it.

It turns out, we might just be saving our foul language for face-to-face confrontations.

The University of Queensland study examined more than 1.7 billion words of online content across 20 English-speaking countries, specifically looking for 597 vulgar words.

Researchers used computational methods with linguistics to narrow down which country is home to people who swear the most online.

Even though Australians have a reputation for enthusiastic use of foul language, we were only the world’s third-worst (or best?) when it came to our online profanity. The list was topped by the US and then Britain.

“Some may find it disappointing,” said Martin Schweinberger, lead researcher from the university’s School of Languages and Cultures.

“Australians really see vulgarity, swearing and slang as part of our culture – we’re very invested in it.”

Swear words are normalised in Australia’s everyday language. Even tourism campaigns feature them – remember the famed “so where the bloody hell are you?” slogan from model Lara Bingle?

The 2006 ad was banned in Canada, from TV and billboards in Britain and censored in Singapore.

Dating from earlier is the national road safety campaign that uses the phrase, “If you drink, then drive, you’re a bloody idiot”. It has run since the 1980s.

Schweinberger said Australia might have missed out on the top gong for online profanities because of a more conservative online approach – and we might instead preferring to swear face-to-face.

“Our study suggests Australians might still live up to our popular image of having unusually rich and inventive ‘bad’ language,” he said.

“Especially thanks to our very public and colourful airing of swear words – this is something that’s often remarked upon by overseas visitors to the country.”

Schweinberger said it was the first large-scale analysis of its kind to determine how offensive language was used in English-speaking countries.

“For language learners and immigrants, knowing how to adjust their language to different social situations is just as important as mastering grammar or vocabulary,” he said.

“Being able to understand when it’s appropriate to use humour, informal expressions, or even mild vulgarity can make a big difference in feeling included, building relationships, and navigating everyday life in a new culture.

“It’s not just about speaking correctly – it’s about speaking appropriately.”

The research was published in science journal Lingua.

-with AAP